Moving from Rhode Island to Illinois: Cost & Tax Comparison
Compare state income tax savings, HUD rent differentials, and household purchasing power adjustments when relocating from Rhode Island to Illinois.
Data updated · Sources: HUD FY 2027 Fair Market Rents, EPI 2026 Family Budget, 2026 tax tables · Methodology
What changes when you move from Rhode Island to Illinois
Rhode Island has graduated income tax rates up to 5.99% and Illinois has a flat 4.95% income tax. On a $100,000 salary a single filer pays $3,148 in state income tax in Rhode Island and $4,805 in state income tax in Illinois. With federal income tax and FICA unchanged, total tax rises by $1,657 a year after the move. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent averages $1,608 a month across Rhode Island's metro areas and $1,053 across Illinois's (-34.5%). Pay differs too: the BLS median wage across all occupations, weighted by employment in each state's metros, is $53,680 in Rhode Island and $54,104 in Illinois. City and county income taxes, which some localities add, are not included in these state-level figures; the metro routes below include them.
Metropolitan Corridors Between Rhode Island & Illinois
Moving from Rhode Island to Illinois on a $100,000 salary: pay $1,657 more in total taxes per year; average one-bedroom rent is $1,053 vs $1,608 a month (HUD.
Quick answers
For a single filer earning $100,000 with no local income tax, total federal, FICA and state taxes are $1,657 higher in Illinois than in Rhode Island (1.7 percentage points of gross pay). The average HUD one-bedroom Fair Market Rent across Illinois's metros is $1,053 a month, versus $1,608 in Rhode Island (-34.5%). Taxes and one-bedroom rent combined change by +$5,006 a year.
Rhode Island: Graduated Brackets, top rate 5.99%. Illinois: Flat Tax, top rate 4.95%. Federal income tax and FICA are the same in both states.